Abstract
Sabah, East Malaysia, is home to an estimated two million irregular migrants from the Philippines and Indonesia. The Malaysian government responds to their presence with policies of detention and deportation, thus impacting everyday practices of work, living and even courtship. For many single females within these communities, seeking a romantic partner fulfils both cultural necessities as well as personal security and safety needs. This route is traditionally rigid, thus requiring communal approval and consideration to ensure the best intersections of health, wealth and most importantly, distance from arrest. For the women in this study, limiting and disempowering narratives can be alleviated through online digital avatars. Participants turn to online spaces through social media, which they use as an avenue to not only explore (multiple) romantic possibilities to their own liking, but also to interrogate identity and representation as irregular female migrants through these avatars. By analysing this “catfishing” phenomenon using Bourdieu’s social capital theory, I will unpack how shared norms, values and relationships are formed through carefully crafted avatars in this new digital frontier.KeywordsSabahFemale migrantsOnline relationshipsSocial capital theoryDigital avatars
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